Shoe tree



Sept. 5, 1944. 1.. w. REINHARDT SHOE TREE File d Oct. 24; 1942 I f- \1 m HUN/12% I :1 A irll -llllllllllll 2 v q 3 l/ 7 LOU/S N IN V EN TOR. RE/NHARDT ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 5, 1944 SHOE TREE Louis W. Reinhardt, Brockton, Mass, assignor to George E. Belcher Company, Stoughton, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application October 24, 1942,,Serial No. 463,225 7 Claims.

My present invention relates to improvements in shoe trees of the type in which the parts are resiliently urged into position within the shoes to establish and maintain their shape.

Other types of shoe tree have been proposed, but shoe trees having resiliently connected parts are preferable because they combine positive fit and adaptability to shoes within a definite range of size. Under present conditions, however, the necessity of utilizing a minimum of metal parts in shoe tree construction makes it difficult to provide shoe trees that are inexpensive to manufacture, attractive in appearance, and effective in use.

In accordance with my present invention, I provide fore and rear part members at least one of which is slotted to receive a slot entering part of the other member or a link member pivotally connected thereto. The slot enteringmember is provided with an elongated aperture to receive a pivot extending through the slotted part to provide a slidable and pivotable connection. I provide the tree part to which-the slot entering member is slidabl and pivotably connected with a bore alined with and in communication with the slot. In the bore, I place a spring and a cylindrical slide of sufiicient length to protrude into the slot to engage with the end of the slot press the spring. This has the dual advantage of facilitating'insertion of the tree into a shoe and rendering the shoe tree more rigid when it is being handled.

Shoe trees in accordance with my invention may be made entirely of Wood with the exception of the spring and because of their construction'may be easily manufactured and assembled and are both attractive in appearance and effective in use.

In the drawing I have shown embodiments of my invention from which these and other novel features and advantages of my invention will be readily apparent.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a partly sectional view of a shoe tree in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is-a partly sectional view along the lines 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig, 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing another embodiment of my invention, and

Fig. 4 shows the heel part of the shoe tree of Fig. 3 as viewed along the lines 4-4 of Fig.3.

In Fig. 1, I have shown a shoe tree comprising a fore part I having in its rear face 2 a relatively wide slot 3 adapted to receive the end of the member 4 which includes a heel or rear, part 5.

The slot enteringend of the member 4 is provided with an elongated. aperture 6 to receive the pivot 1 extending throughthe fore part I to provide a slidable and pivotable connection.

At 8, I have indicated a bore of lesser diameter than the width of. the slot 3 and inalinement with and in communication with the slot 3, and in the bore 8 I place a spring 9. The bore 8 also receives and supports a cylindrical slide 10 which protrudes into the slot 3 so that when the member disconnected to the fore part I it contacts the slide Ill and effects compression of the spring 9 to urge the interconnected tree parts into their expanded relation while yielding to permit the member 4 to advance into the slot 3 within the limits of the elongated aperture 6.

Preferably, the member 4 is arched as at H intermediate the rear part and its slot entering end to establish a readily engageable grip to facilitate the withdrawal of the shoe tree from the shoe.

In Fig. 3, I have shown another form of shoe tree in accordance with my invention in which the fore part I 2 and the rear part l3 are provided with relatively narrow slots l4 and I5 open through their adjacent faces. I bore the rear .part [3 rearwardly through the slot 15 as at IE to receive the spring 9 and the cylindrical slide [1. At 18, I have indicated a connecting member or link, the front end of which is entrant of the slot l4 and pivotally connected to the fore part I2 by the pivot IS. The rear end of the connecting member [8, which is entrant of the slot I5, is provided with an elongated aperture 20 to'receive the pivot 2| carried by the rear part l3. so that, on assembly, the spring 9 is placed under compression to urge the parts l2 and I3 into their expanded relation, while permitting the member l8 to advance in the slot l5.

Preferably, I form the ends of the members l, 18, that are slidably and pivotally interconnected to a last part so that they will have a camming engagement with the slides l0, II. By this construction, as the members are pivoted relative to the tree part to which they are slidably connected, the compression of the spring is increased so that the shoe trees are rendered more rigid and their insertion and removal from the shoes is facilitated.

In a shoe tree in accordance with my invention, the only part that must be of metal is the spring 9. Because of their construction, the shoe trees may be economically manufactured and easily assembled to provide attractive trees well adapted to maintain shoes, within a given size range, in desired condition.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A shoe tree comprising a fore part, a rear part, at least one of said parts having a slot in its face which is disposed towards the other of said parts, and a bore in communication with said slot, means carried by the other of said parts to extend into said slot, the slot entering part of said means having an elongated aperture therein, a pivot extending through said slotted part and said aperture to slidably and pivotally interconnect said parts, a spring in said bore, and a cylindrical slide in said bore, said slide protruding into said slot to engage with said means and maintain said spring remote from said slot and under compression to resiliently urge said parts apart, but permitting said means to advance into said slot.

2. A shoe tree comprising a fore part, a rear part, said fore part having a slot in its rear face, and a bore in communication with said slot, said rear part having apportion thereof extending into said slot, the slot entering part of said portion having an elongated aperture therein, a pivot extending through said slotted part and said aperture to slidably and pivotally interconnect said parts, a spring in said bore, and a cylindrical slide in said bore, said slide protruding into said slot to engage with the end of said portion and maintain said spring remote from said slot and under compression to resiliently urge said parts apart but permitting said portion to advance into said slot.

3. The shoe tree of claim 3 in which the rear part has an end portion to engage with the shoe and is arched intermediate its end portion and its slot entering part to facilitate its manual engagement.

4. A shoe tree comprising a fore part, a rear part, said parts having alined slots in their opposed faces, a bore in said rear part of greater diameter than said slot, said bore extending through said slot and terminating rearwardly thereof, a connecting member pivo-tally supported in the slot of said fore part and extending into said slot in said rear part, the slot entering part of said member having an elongated aperturetherein, a pivot extending through said slotted rear part and said aperture to slidably and pivotally interconnect said connecting member to said rear part, a spring in said bore, and a cylindrical slide in said bore, said slide protruding into said slot to'engage with said connecting member and maintain said spring under compression to resiliently urge said parts apart but permitting said connecting member to advance into said slot in said rear part.

5. A shoe tree comprising a fore part and a rear part, said fore part having a slot in its rear face and a bore in communication with said slot, the front end of said rear part being formed to enter said slot and having a transverse slot, a pivot extending through said fore part and said transverse slot to slidably and pivotally interconnect said parts, the top and bottom Walls of said slo-t being upwardly and downwardly inclined to limit the pivoting of said rear part, a spring in said bore, and a slide in said bore, said slide protruding into said slot to engage with the end of said rear part and maintain said spring remote from said slot and under compression to resiliently urge said parts apart but permitting the end of said rear part to advance in said slot.

LOUIS W. REINHARDI. 

